With the Atlantic 10 Championship approaching in less than three weeks, the University of Rhode Island men’s track and field team looked to continue strengthening its abilities this weekend at the Friar Invitational and the Wilton Wright Invitational.
“These are both relatively small meets for our team,” URI men’s track and field head coach Trent Baltzell said. “We probably have 20 guys competing in total out of the 50 on our roster.”
While Rhode Island didn’t send some of its top runners, there were several standout performers from the weekend.
Second-year distance runner Ben Fatone was a top finisher for the Rams in the 3,000-meter invitational. Fatone crossed the finish line at 8:30.76 and finished in fourth place overall.
“Ben was a redshirt freshman and did a lot of learning last year,” Baltzell said. “It takes a while for a high schooler to come to college and compete at the level they’re contributing to. This year has been great for Ben, and he looked amazing this weekend.”
In the mile invitational, fourth-year distance runner Antonio Capalbo finished second, crossing the finish line at 4:03.52. In the open section, third-year Adam Melnick was the Rams’ top finisher, coming in seventh with a time of 4:13.32.
“That happened to be a school record,” Baltzell said. “[Capablo] ran a really good race. We usually run the 1,500, but just to make it was a notable effort. He did a really good job, and he deserves recognition.”
At the Wright Invite, first-year jumper Arnaud Sioho finished third in the 110-meter hurdles, with a final time of 14.63 seconds. Sioho also finished second in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 54.15 seconds.
“We were trying different things out,” Baltzell said. “Some guys are in different events that they normally wouldn’t run or compete in, other guys are sharpening the blade right now.”
Other standouts from the Wright Invite were third-year sprinter Cooper Mitchell in the 400-meter hurdles, finishing fourth with a time of 55.28 seconds. Second-year jumper Nathan Park also finished third in place in the pole vault at 4.70 meters.
Rhode Island will head to the UConn Northeast Challenge this weekend. This will be one of Rhode Island’s biggest meets before the A-10 Championship.
“For UConn, it is a big need for us,” Baltzell said. “This is usually the one every year. It’s two weeks out from A-10s, and it’s our last full team meet. Almost everyone will be competing, and we are expecting big marks.”
The UConn meet will take place on Friday and Saturday, as Rhode Island looks for another strong outing during the final stretch of its season.
